The Washington Nationals selected San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg with the first overall pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.

(KG) SP20BBNFRIEDRICH -- Christian Friedrich, age 20, was introduced to the media Thursday afternoon, June 19, 2008 at Coors Field. Friedrich was the first-round selection for the Rockies and the 25th player overall taken in the amateur draft. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post

MILWAUKEE — The Rockies held firm on their desire to get pitching today, selecting Tyler Matzek with the 11th pick overall in the MLB Draft.

The Rockies took the 6-foot-3, left-hander from Capistrano Valley (Calif.) High School. The 18-year-old, who has been clocked as high as 98 miles per hour, has signed a letter of intent with Oregon. He was praised by MLB.com analyst John Hart for his four-pitch mix and his smooth delivery.

With the 32nd pick in the first round, the Rockies selected Sacramento State junior center fielder Tim Wheeler.

Wheeler, at 6-4, 205 pounds, has drawn comparisons to Steve Finley. He’s known as an offensive player with good speed. This is a pleasant surprise for the Rockies, who had considered taking Wheeler as high as No. 11. He hit .385 with 18 home runs this season in college.

The Rockies took left-handed pitcher Rex Brothers with the 34th pick in the second round as compensation for the loss of free agent pitcher Brian Fuentes.

Brothers, a 6-0, 205-pound junior from Lipscomb University in Tenn., was on their radar for weeks. He throws hard and competes, but has some command issues.

In the second round at No. 59, the Rockies selected third baseman Nolan Arenado of El Toro (Calif.) High School. Arenado played short stop in high school, but is projected as a third baseman or catcher in the pros.

Matzek, when asked about not being a hitter anymore, and concentrating only on pitching, said: “Oregon told me that I’ll play first base. So we’ll see what Colorado has to say.”

He went 9-1 with a 1.58 ERA during his high school regular season, and went undefeated in the high school playoffs.

“It was a great way to end my high school career,” Matzek said of winning a state prep title.

This kid is considered to have a huge upside, but has sent signals that he will not sign for slot money. This could lead to a protracted negotiation.

On some draft boards, he was rated as high as No. 2, but slipped because of his signability issues.

While fireballer Matt Hobgood was a favorite of the Rockies at No. 11, he instead went at No. 5 to Baltimore.

Hobgood was followed closely by the Rockies. He rose quickly on the draft board as other high school players began to throw out wild signing demands. Hobgood made it clear that he wants to sign quickly and get into pro ball.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder was named Gatorade’s High School Player of the Year.

Corner prep infielder Bobby Borchering also created some buzz. Borchering, 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, has been strongly followed by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have the 16th pick overall.

Borchering has signed signed a letter of intent with Florida. He is considered a rare student of hitting, who has actually done science projects about bat weights for players and recognizing curveballs, according to local stories about the slugger.

Another pitcher the Rockies’ scouted heavily, Arizona State’s Mike Leake, went to the Reds with the eighth pick.

Footnote

As expected, Jason Grilli didn’t make it through waivers. The Texas Rangers acquired the former Rockies’ pitcher today in a trade for cash considerations.

Troy is a former Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies beat writer for The Denver Post. He joined the news organization in 2002 as the Rockies' beat writer and became a Broncos beat writer in 2014 before assuming the lead role ahead of the 2015 season. He left The Post in 2015.

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